House gun bill has more restrictions

By AP Political Writer JOHN O'CONNOR, AP Political Writer SOPHIA TAREEN

SPRINGFIELD (AP) – A compromise allowing the carrying of concealed weapons backed by House Speaker Michael Madigan and agreed to by the General Assembly’s leading gun-rights advocate materialized Wednesday, adding to the list of gun-free locales but making it easier for qualified gun owners to get permits.

Madigan, a Chicago Democrat, emerged from a closed-door meeting of his caucus late in the afternoon, saying the reworked version of southern Illinois Rep. Brandon Phelps’ measure would get its first test with a committee vote today.

A House floor tally would follow a day later, just 16 days before the deadline for establishing a concealed carry law set by the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals when it decreed the state’s last-in-the-nation ban unconstitutional.

Phelps said the plan is a framework for a “shall issue” law, meaning the Illinois State Police would be required to issue a permit to anyone with a Firearm Owners Identification card who has the requisite training and clears a criminal background check.